LA Angels of Anaheim Will “Probably Not” Trade Vernon Wells to the NY Yankees
February 25, 2013 · Kenny DeJohn · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Ever since Curtis Granderson fractured his forearm during Sunday’s spring training action, countless names have been floated as to who will take his place for the first 30 games or so of the regular season.
Vernon Wells of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is a veteran outfielder who could potentially fit in left field with the New York Yankees, but Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that the Angels will “probably not” be dealing Wells to the Bronx.
There are two main reasons as to why a Wells trade is unlikely.
For starters, Wells represents solid depth for the Angels outfield. Mike Trout, Peter Bourjos and Josh Hamilton will comprise the outfield from left to right. Hamilton isn’t exactly known for his durability, so having Wells as the fourth outfielder could be important as the season progresses.
The Angels are competing in the tight AL West. The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers should both pose threats to them in 2013. If Hamilton misses any amount of time for any reason (or one of the other outfielders, for that matter), having a capable replacement is crucial.
Wells is also owed $21 million for each of the next two seasons. There’s absolutely no way that the Yankees make a deal unless the Angels absorb a vast majority of that contract, and it’s unlikely that the Angels would be willing to do so.
After spending big each of the past two offseasons, the Angels may not be in the market to spend a ton of money on a guy they’re trading away.
While that much money for a No. 4 outfielder sounds absurd—well, it sounds that way because it is—the Angels would likely rather get some value out of him for that price.
Trading him and absorbing a lot of money also wouldn’t bode well for the package they would receive in return. The less Los Angeles absorbs, the better prospects the Yankees would be willing to move.
Because both parties seem unwilling to make a trade with those parameters, keeping Wells is probably best for Los Angeles.
For the Yankees, acquiring a guy like Wells would be a bit of an overreaction if you ask me.
Granderson will only be out about 10 weeks. Luckily, there are still about five weeks left in spring training. This means he’ll only miss the first five weeks or so of the regular season.
If he were missing 10 weeks of the regular season, I wouldn’t be as opposed to making a move. For five weeks, it’s probably in the franchise’s best interest to let an in-house guy take the reins in left field.
Whether that’s Juan Rivera, Matt Diaz, Melky Mesa or Zoilo Almonte has yet to be determined, but there’s a very good chance that at least one of those guys can step up and produce.
At the end of the day, the Angels may actually be doing the Yankees a favor by deciding to hold onto their overpaid outfielder.
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